Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Last weekend Jeff and I headed up to New Jersey for the first race of the H2H Campmor series at Wawayanda State Park. Neither of us had ever raced there before and we were both surprised to find the course was reminiscent of something you mind find in Michaux. Although there wasn't much climbing on the 9 mile lap it included some impressive rock gardens and technical singltrack. It was a hot day and the autobottle was fully loaded. I got a great start, but then began to fade half way through the first lap. The heat made my head want to explode, and I began to consider pulling out if I continued to feel like ass. Somewhere in the begining of the second lap I saw Melissa Kern on the horizon. Wow! I was shocked to find myself within reach of the great Melissa Kern. We went back and forth for a while. She'd pass on the climbs and I'd make up ground on the descents. I was leading going into the last lap, let her pass me on the climb and really didn't put up much of a fight. It had already been a long race and I just didn't think I had much energy to get scrappy. Damn! If only I had known she was only 1 minute ahead! Surely I could have put my head down and suffered enough to make up 59 seconds. Well, I guess it's the good news/bad news. Excited that I'm finishing within reach of some super strong ladies, disappointed in myself for not following through with a good fight. So, I took 4th, Melissa 3rd, followed by the two pro women in our field (1st and 2nd).